Door-operating mechanism.



W. E. HARRIS. DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1913.

1,087,764. Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

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WITNESSES W. E. HARRIS.

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1913.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

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39 In /2 NW INVENTOR 29 Wane/vi. /7fl/?/?/5 ATTORNEYS lllllilllE FFICE.

WILLIAM E. HARRIS, OF SCQTTSBGRO, ALABAJHA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF To C. L. JARBJETT, OIE SPRING-FIELD, MISSOURI.

DOOR-OPERATING MECHANISMI.

To all whom it mm/ concern Be it known that I, VVILLIAM E. HARRIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Scottsboro, in the county 0t J ackson and State of Alabama, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Door- @perating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in door operating mechanism, and has for its object to provide mechanism of the character specitied, especially adapted for freight car doors, wherein a pivotally mounted track is provided for supporting the door, together with mechanism for swinging the track, in order to utilize the weight of the door in. opening and closing the same.

Tn the drawings: Figure 1 is a partial. side view of a car provided with the improved door operating mechanism, Fig. 2 is a similar view with the door in open position, Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, Fig. 1- is an enlarged detail of one of the connections between the door and the track, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one end of the track, Fig. 6 is a similar view of the other end, and, Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a detail of the operating mechanism for the track.

The present embodiment of the invention is shown in connection with the body 1 of a freight car, having the usual door opening 2. A hanger comprising a body 3 and a depending arm 4 is secured to the car body above the door opening and to one side thereof, by means of a threaded stem 5 extending from the opposite end of the body from the arm, and the said stem is passed through the car body and engaged by a nut 6 on the inside of the car.

The arm 1- of the hanger is spaced apart laterally from the side of the car, and is provided with an opening for receiving the pivot bolt 7 for the track, the said bolt being passed through the opening of the arm 1 and the car body below the bolt 5, and engaged by a nut 8 on the inside of the car.

The track is in the form of a tubular structure, of rectangular cross section, consisting of a body or top 9, and side walls 10, and each of the side walls is provided at its lower side edge with a lateral inwardly extendin flange 11, and each of the flanges is provided with an upstanding rib Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 25, 1913.

Patented Feb. 1'7, 1914.

Serial No. 781,099.

12, said ribs extending longitudinally of the track bar.

The ribs 12 are spaced apart from each other, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and are parallel, and at one end of the track bar a plate 13 is arranged transversely of the track bar below the same, the said plate having a lug 1d intermediate its ends which extends between the ribs 12. The said lug 14 tits the space between the ribs, and bolts 15 are passed downwardly through the top or body 9 of the track bar, and through the flange 11., and through the plate 13, said bolts being headed at their lower ends, and the plate is countersunk to receive the heads, as shown in Fig. 4. At the opposite end of the track bar a block 16 is arranged, said block having at each end a cross head 17 and 18 respectively. The block is of. a width to lit between the ribs 12, and of a length to extend above and below the track bar. The top 9 of the track bar is notched or recessed as shown at 19 in Fig. 6, to receive the block, and the cross heads 17 and 18 fit trans *e-rsely oi the top and bottom of the track bar. Bolts 20 are passed through the adjacent ends of the cross heads 17 and 18, and through the top 9 and the flange 11, and the said bolts are headed at their lower ends, the cross head 18 being counterbored to receive the heads, in the same manner as the plate 13 is counterbored to receive the heads of the bolts 15.

An operating lever 22 is pivoted intermediate its ends to the side of the car, by means of a bolt 22 passing through an opening 23 in the lever, and the side of the car, and that end of the lever adjacent to the track baris otl set laterally outward, as indicated at 24:, and is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 25. The offset end 24 of the lever is received between a pair of laterally spaced parallel lugs 26, which depend from the cross head 18 at the center thereof, and a bolt 27 is passed through the lugs and the slot 25 for pivotally connecting the track bar to the lever 22. The opposite end of the lever 22 is provided with a pair of laterally spaced parallel lugs 28, and one end of a handle 29 is received between the lugs, and is pivoted thereto, by means of a bolt 30. The handle is engaged by a keeper 31 intermediate its ends, and the lower end oi the handle is provided with a laterally offset grip 32 for engagement by the operator to swing the operating lever. The handle is also provided in its opposite side edges with notches 33 and 34., the notch 33 facing upward, and the notch 3d facing downward. The keeper has lugs or stops for engagement by the notches, to hold the lever and the handle in adjusted position.

The keeper is secured to the side wall of the car body, by means of bolts The door 36 may be of any usual or desired construction, and the said door has its upper end beveled, the door being of greater length at the side adjacent to the operating lever 22 than at the opposite side. Hangers 37 are bolted to the upper end of the door by means of bolts and nuts 38, and each hanger has its upper end offset inwardly, as shown at 39, the offset portion being at approxi mately the center of the door, as shown in Fig. 3, and in such position that the said offset portion 39 of each hanger will travel in the passage between the ribs 12 of the track bar.

The offset portion of each hanger is provided with a transverse journal pin 40, and a grooved wheel 41 is journaled on each end of each journal pin, each of the said wheels engaging and moving on the adjacent rib 12.

From the above description it will be noted that the door is supported by the track bar, and that the said door is free to move from end to end of the track bar. The track bar is pivoted at its center, and the said bar may be swung into the position of Fig. 1, or into the position of Fig. 2, by means of the handle 32 and the operating lever. When the track bar is swung from the position of Fig. 1 to the position of Fig. 2, it will be evident that the weight of the door will cause the door to move into the position of Fig. 2, the wheels traveling on the ribs 12. Stops 12 and 43 are arranged on opposite sides of the door opening, for engagement by the side edges of the door, to limit the movement of the same. The stop 42 is arranged in perpendicular position, as shown, while the stop 13 is in inclined position.

hen the track bar is in the position of Fig. 1, the door will have its side edges perpendicular, on account of the beveling of the upper end thereof. hen, however, the door is swung into the position of Fig. 2, the side edges thereof will be inclined and not perpendicular, and the stop 43 is arranged at the same inclination as the side edges of the door. The track bar is held in adjusted position, by means of the engagement of the notches of the handle with the lugs or stops of the keeper. When the door is in the position of Fig. 1, the weight of the door will pull the handle 29 upward, while when the door is in the position of Fig. 2 the weight thereof will tend to push the handle downward. The notches and the lugs of the keeper are arranged to meet the pull upon the handle, and hold the parts in adjusted position.

I claim 2-- 1. Door operating mechanism, comprising in combination with the door, of a track bar, hangers connected with the door, wheels journaled on the hangers and engaging the track bar, means for pivotally connecting the track bar, intermediate its ends to a fixed support adjacent to a door opening, and means at the end of the track bar remote from the door opening for swinging the said track bar to cause the door to move in the track bar over and away from over the door opening, said means comprising an operating lever adapted to be pivoted intermediate its ends to a fixed support, a slidable connection between'the adjacent end of the track bar and the lever, a handle pivoted to the other end of the lever and depending therefrom, a keeper adapted to be secured to the fixed support and through which the handle extends, said handle having notches and the keeper having stops for engagement by the notches to hold the track bar in adjusted position, the door being of greater height at the side adjacent to the operating lever than at the opposite side to cause the door to stand with its side edges perpendicular when over the door opening, and stops for engagement by the door when over the opening and when away from over the opening to limit the movement thereof.

2. Door operating mechanism, comprising in combination with the door, of a track bar, hangers connected with the door, wheels journaled on the hangers and engaging the track bar, means for pivotally connectin the track bar intermediate its ends to a fixed support adjacent to a door opening, and means at the end of the track bar remote from the door opening for swinging the said track bar to cause the door to move in the track bar over and away from over the door opening, said means comprising an operating lever adapted to be pivoted intermediate its ends to the fixed support adjacent to the door opening, a slidable connection between the adjacent end of the track bar and the lever, a handle pivoted to the other end of the lever and depending there from, a keeper adapted to be secured to the fixed support through which the handle extends, said handle having notches and the keeper having stops for engagement by the notches to hold the track bar in adjusted position, and stops for engagement by the door at the end of its travel in each direction.

3. Door operating mechanism, comprising in combination with the door, of a track bar, hangers connected with the door, wheels journaled on the hangers and engaging the track bar, means for pivotally connecting the track bar intermediate its ends to a fixed support adjacent to a door opening,

and means at the end of the track bar refrom the door opening, and means connected mote from the door opening for swinging with the other end of the lever for swinging the said track bar to cause the door to move the lever and for holding the said lever in 10 on the track bar over and away from over adjusted position. the door opening, said means comprising an WILLIAM E. HARRIS. operating lever adapted to be pivoted to a Witnesses:

fixed support and having a sliding connec- C. L. JARRE'LT,

tion With the end of the track bar remote A. E. KINLOQH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington. D. G. 

